Human pathology
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The major differential diagnostic problem presented by atypical polypoid adenomyofibroma (atypical polypoid adenomyoma) (APA), which usually affects young women, is the exclusion of well-differentiated endometrial carcinoma invading the myometrium. This distinction, however, is of great clinical importance from the standpoint of treatment because reproductive conservation is feasible for patients with APA. Recently, CD10, known to be a marker of endometrial stromal cells, was reported to be also expressed in cells immediately surrounding the neoplastic glands invading the myometrium [Am J Surg Pathol 27 (2003) 786-789; Mod Pathol 16(1) (2003) 22-27]. ⋯ In conclusion, this study demonstrated differences in the CD10 immunoreactivity or immunostaining pattern between the stromal components of APA and myoinvasive endometrial carcinoma. This difference should lead to a more accurate diagnosis of APA (pseudo-myoinvasive lesion). Furthermore, the histogenesis of APA may perhaps be explained by "myofibromatous metaplasia" of the endometrial stromal cells.